At what age can children initiate and execute a mutually beneficial exchange?

Using a novel exchange paradigm, we demonstrate that Australian preschool children from middle to high socioeconomic backgrounds may be capable of executing a mutually beneficial exchange. In Study 1, 3- to 5-year-old children completed a tower building task, in which they were given an opportunity to make trading choices via preset options that could allow both them and a puppet to succeed. A majority of children across age groups selected the efficient trade option over other alternatives.